Secret Invasion quickly made it clear that something was up with Don Cheadle's Rhodey, and we'd later learn that War Machine had been replaced by one of Gravik's Skrulls, Raava.
As a trusted advisor to the U.S. President, Colonel Rhodes was able to manipulate Ritson and pushed him into starting World War III. Timely intervention from Nick Fury and Sonya Falsworth stopped that and saw the shape-shifter take a bullet to the head. Rhodey, meanwhile, was later freed from Gravik's base.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the hero had trouble walking and was wearing a hospital gown, suggesting he's been in captivity since the events of Captain America: Civil War.
Now, Secret Invasion director Ali Selim appears to have confirmed that.
"A lot of people have asked about, 'Definitively, when did Rhodey...?'" he tells ComicBook.com. "I think his legs not working in the end of episode six and him being in the hospital gown points to ['Captain America: Civil War']."
"And, from there, does it have to be definitive, or is it more fun for the audience to go back and revisit every moment, every Rhodey moment and look at it with a different lens now that they think, 'Oh, he might’ve been a Skrull there.' And make the decision for themselves, or it'll be answered in 'Armor Wars.'"
While Selim likely has limited knowledge about the MCU's future, it makes sense for Rhodey to remain on the shelf until that Armor Wars movie rolls around. There, we'll not only learn how long he was replaced but also the ramifications of that.
If the real Rhodey really has been M.I.A. since Captain America: Civil War, he doesn't know that Tony Stark is dead. We'd also put money on that Skrull getting up to no good with the Stark Industries technology he had access to, potentially explaining why the events of Armor Wars unfold.
Let us know your Rhodey theories in the comments section below.